1000 Abrahamic Circles:                                                                         traduction française ci-dessous In 2012, during Ambassador Dino Patti Djalal's tenure as Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, he assembled a group of Indonesian and American religious leaders to embark on an "Abrahamic peace mission" -- from Jakarta, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and Washington DC. This joint delegation consisted of Islamic clerics, Christian priests and Jewish rabbis (there were no Jewish Rabbi...

                                                                                                                                                          Traduction française - voir ci-dessous Many people - government officials who know me, priests and funders who support our program – ask a simple question: ...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY                                           Traduction française - voir ci-dessous A global ecumenical process is underway for various Christian churches to jointly elevate Creation Day (September 1), also known as the World Day of Prayer for Creation, to become a liturgical feast. A working group co-convened by the UISG-USG JPIC commission, Laudato Si' Movement, and Laudato Si' Research Institute is coordinating the participation of Catholic organizations and congregations in the process. Below is some background on the proposed feast, as well as invitations for your...

Prayers4Peace - Palestinians: A Struggle for Survival in a World Turned Away        Traduction française ci-dessous By: Rifat Kassis The Palestinian people, like many nations throughout history—Americans under British rule, the French during Nazi occupation, Indians under British imperialism, Algiers under French occupation, and others—find themselves under the iron grip of ruthless military occupation. Israel, the occupying power, imposes a regime of oppression and apartheid that denies Palestinians all their fundamental rights, among them to live in dignity and freedom. For decades, Palestinians have employed every method in their pursuit of liberation. They have t...

My Mission Experience                          Traduction française - voir ci-dessous I am Sr Suporna Bernadette Rozario from Bangladesh. I did my Postulancy in Sydney, Australia and novitiate in Auckland, New Zealand. I made my first profession on 18th January 2000 in New Zealand. Over the 25 years I have been missionary in many countries and learned to appreciate my vocation as Marist Missionary Sister. I Thank God and Mary for her Gracious Choice and all who have been part of my missionary journey. My First Mission Experience Straight after my first profession, I was sent to Fiji to study Theology at the Pacific Re...

Reconciliation: A Path to Peace in Interreligious Dialogue        -     pour la traduction française, voir ci-dessous -  Hermes Sabud, SM, Program coordinator, Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (IRICD) Program of the Marist Asia Foundation, Ranong, Thailand Interreligious dialogue is a collaborative approach to life where people from diverse religious faith traditions respectfully establish connections and build friendships. When people begin to establish friendships, trust is gradually initiated and nurtured. As relationships develop, we become aware of the uniqueness of the other. There are times when it is difficult to accept and appreciate ...

Broadening Our Marist Mission of Reconciliation to Creation                -         Version française ci-dessous by Samu Tukidia, SM, Formator, Marist College Suva, Fiji and Lecturer in Philosophy, Pacific Regional Seminary, Suva, Fiji We live in an era of brokenness and fragmentation both within the human environment and natural environment. Violence in its many forms dominates our headlines. How do we as Marists respond to such times? Fr. John Larsen, SM, the Superior General of the Society of Mary, once noted that as Marists we are called to be "bridge-builders, instruments of reconciliation, (and) bearers of the Good ...

This year, 2024, September 1 falls on a Sunday. Here are some ideas to celebrate it – you can pick one or a combination. (See also more context about the feast below.) Before, or after, the Sunday Eucharist: (Could be tied to your Sunday service, immediately before or after, or could be done ecumenically at another time that day) ●  Invite your community to ponder this great mystery by praying the "Via Creationis" (or "Way of Creation", inspired by the Via Crucis format). ●  Pray the Vespers service (evening prayer) of the Orthodox Church for September 1. ●  Organize a Creation-themed prayer for your community using resources such as those of the Season of Creat...

UISG - USG Document: Contributions for the Synod on the Synodality In a significant move towards shaping the future of the Catholic Church, the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the Union of Superiors General (USG) have released their 2024 contribution to the ongoing discussion on "How To Be A Church In Mission?" This collaborative effort responds to questions posed by the General Secretariat of the Synod on March 14, 2024, reflecting a global perspective from religious leaders worldwide. The contribution synthesizes responses from UISG and USG members across the globe, organized into five key themes: - Co-Responsibility for Mission; - Authority, Governance and Participatio...

Dear confreres and friends Laudato Si' Week "Seeds of Hope", started on May 19, Pentecost Sunday, and closes on May 26, Holy Trinity Sunday. This year the Laudato Si Movement are proposing different themes and actions for each day of the week, ways to put it into practice, its importance and impact on our planet. Please, find the celebration guide at the following links and share within your network: link in Spanish link in English link in French link in Italian link in Portuguese Also consider that in the "resources" section it is possible to download the social media kit for a better promotion (including the logo). Chers confrères et amis, la Semaine Laudato Si' « Semences d'espérance », a...

This week's blog is Chapter 2- Communities for Mission, from Fr John Larsen's recently released Letter to the Society of Mary: Like Mary, Bearers of Hope.         Pour la version française - voir ci-dessous.        Nazareth From our first beginnings Nazareth has always been an important symbol for us as Marists. For Father Jean-Claude: "Our spirit, the spirit of the Society … I personally find it in all its fulness in the house at Nazareth" (F.S. 188, 12) Nazareth speaks of a small village where people grew together in faith together with Mary, Joseph and their son. It was far from the centres of power, whether Jerusalem or Rome or elsewhere,...

Deep Time - Deep Adaptation - Deep Transformation    :    Peter Healy SM  Temps profond, adaptation profonde et transformation profonde  :  Peter Healy SM  :  Traduction française ci-dessous The following is a Summary of a Presentation given by Peter Healy, Kiwi Marist, to our Ecology Commission on 20th March 2024. Peter spoke, in the summer months, to a Gathering of Young Activists for social and political change. They were not specifically Catholic, or Christian. He felt privileged to be called to speak – as he is called to do by their organizers each year. He spoke of Deep Time and Deep Adaptation – using as a Visual a painting he has...

CALLED TO BE EUCHARISTIC PEOPLE                                               Traduction française - voir ci-dessous Our world has plunged into a frightening darkness. LIGHT has diminished, almost extinguished. The threat of evil hovers large today, in the suffering and horror of wars: in the cries of the women, The bewilderment of the children, The hunger and exhaustion of the elderly, The helplessness and powerlessness of the innocent and suffering. The list is endless, Yet, in the midst of this God reminds us- He is alive. He LIVES in me. He LIVES in you. He LIVES in me ...

by Nik Rodewald, Theology Teacher and Campus Minister, Marist School, Atlanta, Georgia         Traduction française ci-dessous Over the last few years, in response to Pope Francis's encyclical, Laudato Si', I have been on a journey to a more authentic ecological conversion. The article that follows is a musing on the concrete steps that journey has taken, and an invitation for you, dear reader, to consider your own journey into God. Awareness and Action God is always at work trying to "do a new thing" (Isaiah 43:19). Yet for this "new thing" to come to completion, I must learn to discern how God's Spirit is moving, stirring me away from my old ways and tired habits, ...

Changing How Economy Works                                                                Traduction française - voir ci-dessous Capitalist economy, especially in its neoliberal, financial version, is ecologically and socially unsustainable, and it is the main driver of the poly-crisis we are today experiencing. Therefore, we need to change how the economy works. This will take a social transformation, that is, a systemic change that transforms both socio- economic structures and the worldview that underpins them. Having understood th...

Fr Richard Rohr OFM, presents on the Centre for Action and Contemplation , 4 key issues that call for us to be engaged in this year, 2024: He draws on Brian McLaren's work: Everything must Change .  McLaren presents 4 Crises: Planet, Poverty, Peace, and Religion.  McLaren Writes Way back in 2007, I wrote a book called Everything Must Change. I wanted to understand what our greatest challenges and threats and problems were here on Earth as a global civilization. I spent a year researching the literature of global crises, and I came away with an understanding of four deep problems that we face. First, we face a crisis with our planet. We are literally destroying our life su...

The three Magi from the East brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to those gathered around the new-born child in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph among them. (Matt. 2) However, the beautiful story of the Epiphany suggests that these same travelers from the East bring other gifts, too, both to those in Bethlehem and also to us. These other gifts of the wise, then and now, are channels of peace and reconciliation within a very violent world. The Epiphany speaks to hearts in every age that long for peace and reconciliation in the midst of war, injustice and violence. We are so familiar with the Christmas scene that the magi seem to fit in there very naturally. In reality, they were strangers...

A Broader View of the Impacts of Climate Change on the World's Poor by Ted Keating, SM                                                                                                 Traduction française - voir ci-dessous When our Editorial Committee met to plan this issue of Today's Marists, we were embedded in the tragic news of a world on fire (western part of the United States, Canada, Greece, along with several other nations); massive, deadly flo...

COP28 is the first COP to have a Faith Pavilion, found at  https://faithatcop28.com/ La COP28 est la première COP à disposer d'un pavillon de la foi à  https://faithatcop28.com/ GLOBAL FAITH LEADERS UNITE TO DECLARE SUPPORT      Traduction française - voir ci-dessous – 28 high-level faith leaders from over 19 faiths and denominations unite to sign a statement seeking urgent climate action ahead of COP28. – The document, signed at the Global Faith Leaders' Summit on 6/7 November in Abu Dhabi, shows commitment from faith groups across the world to take swift and decisive action to address the climate emergency. – At COP28, the first-ever Faith Pavilion will b...

Ross Flint, Marist Associate,  Ordained Anglican, Tasmania, offers us his Reflections:       [Traduction française - voir ci-dessous]. In the vastly complex situation that exists in Israel today, there are many issues to deal with and many to discern. For anyone to side with either the Israelis or the Palestinians without listening to the many stories of the events that have unfolded during the 75 years since Palestine was divided to give the Jews a homeland due to the UN Resolution 181 in 1947 will inevitably come to wrong conclusions. To further complicate an already very complex situation, some evangelical Christians (primarily in the USA) have adopted a...